postcards from the growing edge

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Stairway to Heaven

Been quiet on here for a while.. Usually an indication that it hasn’t been life-wise. Dissertation, curacy at the deep end and personal bereavement haven’t left allot of time for blogging. Today is the Feast of St Michael and all Angels and that seemed an apposite moment to add a little on here.

Several weeks ago my mother in law left us for Heaven. She had been hovering on the stairway for sometime… A woman of deep and simple faith, she knew where she was going, and was ready. She also seemed to know something was in the wings. She ‘d been seeing angels. Whatever you make of that, it brought her allot of joy. They would call for her and take her dancing. She was very frail and physically disabled, and hadn’t been able to walk on her own unaided for several years, let alone dance. They would call out her name and whisk her off on to a Heavenly dance floor. She would point them out to the staff caring for her, and then continue a very mundane, down to earth conversation.

Sometimes she refused to go to bed because she was afraid she would miss her call. She needn’t have worried. Her call for that last dance wasn’t long coming.

I can’t really explain what was going on with her during those last weeks, but I like to think God was gently preparing her with a taste of joys to come. Any which way it made an old lady very happy, and I am good with that.